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NUJ condemns "savage' London Tonight job cuts

London Tonight, the ITV regional news programme produced by ITN, is to cut more than a third of its staff.

Staff working for the early evening regional news and sports programme have been told that 15 out of 36 posts are to go.

NUJ broadcasting organiser Sue Harris said: “These are savage cuts and are bound to have an impact on the quality of London Tonight’s service. The management has said it will be looking for voluntary redundancies and we will be working to support our members against compulsory job losses. The NUJ hopes to continue to have constructive talks with the management. We are also concerned that those who are left will be put under stress, with unreasonable workloads, as they attempt to cover for the lost posts.”

NUJ general secretary Michelle Stanistreet said: “Taking an axe to London Tonight in this way can only damage output on the programme. At a time when the BBC is facing huge cuts to its news services in the regions this represents a damaging retreat from quality regional journalism at ITV. The NUJ also has grave concerns about the implications of these cuts for regional news elsewhere within the ITV network. This is bad news for journalists and bad news for viewers.”